Wander Through the Woods

Just thought I'd mention I have a brand new pattern available, called Wander Through the Woods. It's available now here.

It's so easy to make, and really quite quick. The pattern is full of extras, a total of 8 different quilts to make if you wanted to, including a mini quilt just 12.5 inches square. :)

If you'd like to know more, head on over to my other blog, here.

Bye for now x

Rainblow Flowers Mini Block -Free Pattern

I finally got to testing my Rainbow Flowers mini block pattern yesterday, and am pleased to say that it all works and is now available for free download at my Payhip Pattern Store. 

For my test piece I sorted through my Bonnie & Camille scrap jar, which is full of Marmalade offcuts from my ZigZag Love quilt, as well as a few pieces of Ruby from another project.

I love the way the finished block looks with the stripes and spots. Actually, this has me wanting to make a whole mini quit in just spots and stripes. Wouldn't that be cute?

I hope you'll have a look at the pattern and give it a go. It really is a fun little block!

Happy Sewing x

Mini Blocks - and a Free Pattern

Hello! Though things have not been as active on the sewing front around here lately as I would like, I have had the chance to do a little sewing - and I do mean little. Two little miniaturised Farmers Wife Sampler blocks actually. Each one is two inches square and will finish at 1.5 inches.

Here we have Block 80 - Single Wedding Star (also known as Rolling Stone):

And this is Block 73 - Rainbow Flowers: 

I find these so much fun to make, and they're so quick compared with their bigger cousins. Having given away the mini sampler I made with my first mini blocks (you can see that here) I thought I'd make myself one. No rush, just the odd block now and then.

After posting my first mini sampler last year I was asked for a tutorial on some mini blocks, so I thought I'd do up a free instruction sheet for each of these, and for more as I make them. If you're interested, the Rolling Stone Mini Block pattern is now available for (free) download at my Payhip Pattern Store. :) There are step-by-step instructions and diagrams, as well as a few "Tips for Success". It only takes the smallest of scraps to make these blocks, so why not have a go? There's nothing to lose really :)

Bye for now, and happy sewing!

Hope x

Pattern Sale!

Sale now over. Thank you :)

Hello! Long time no see. I've just looked at the calendar and realised it's only 6 weeks till Christmas, thereabouts. So, just because, I thought I'd have a little pattern sale. For a limited time both my patterns will be $6 instead of the usual $8 - that's 25% off. Sale ends Sunday 24 November 2013.

Thats ZigZag Love:

And Zigzag Run:

Both patterns are available through my Payhip Pattern Store or through hopesquiltdesigns.com.

It's the perfect time to buy and start making some Christmas presents, don't you think? Or either one would look great in Christmas fabrics... :)

Happy sewing!

Bye for now x

Zigzag Run - a New Pattern

Hello, and Happy Wednesday! I have a little sewing project to share with you today, something that started as a sketch in my journal and ended up a touchable, usable item - love that. And another thing to love: it's also my newest pattern! I've called it Zigzag Run.

I have written the pattern with beginners in mind, including lots of diagrams and detailed step-by-step instructions. I am always available if you have any questions - the email address is in the pattern. This would be a great project for more experienced sewers too, the scope for colour play and the smaller pieces keep it interesting. :)

The pattern neatly uses a 42 piece charm pack, but I had a definite colour scheme in mind for this table runner so used charms from a few different ranges as well as a few fabrics from my stash. I love the bold colours and the way they look in our dining room. See the aqua/blue colour in there? That's pretty much the colour of our dining room walls. 

The greens are mostly Hello Luscious by Basic Grey for Moda. There is a lot of Domestic Bliss in there, and the blacks are from Half Moon - both also from Moda. I also used a couple of purple solids left over from the first quilt I ever made. 

The backing and the binding are both from my local quilt shop. The binding fabric is one I'm using for a lot of my Farmers Wife Sampler quilt blocks. I should probably get more actually, just in case I use it all up before I finish the sampler. ;)

I've listed the Zigzag Run pattern for sale at my pattern store at hopesquiltdesigns.com, or for EU members, on Etsy or my Pattern Store. You'll be able to download the pattern after payment at either site.

So, what do you think? Could you see yourself making your own Zigzag Run? I would love to see one in fresh Spring colours, or a graduating rainbow of colours marching from one end of the runner to the other. Alternating dark and light fabrics would be fun too... so many options.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Bye for now x 

A Little Online Shop

I have just finished setting up a little online store where I will be selling my patterns. The address is hopesquiltdesigns.bigcartel.com 

At the moment there is just the one pattern, ZigZag Love, but as I do more patterns they will be added.

I decided to do this because it seems you have to create or sign in to your PayPal account when buying patterns through Craftsy. I have had someone let me know that this is not ideal for them, and thought it might also be inconvenient for others. With this new bigcartel site, you should be able to pay by credit card without having to have or create a PayPal account.

Bye for now x

ZigZag Love Pattern is Ready!

Hello everybody!

I am very excited, and more than a little nervous, to announce that the pattern for my ZigZag Love quilt is now up and available for purchase on Craftsy! Click HERE to see (and buy, if you'd like, I'd love you forever if you did). ;)

EDIT: Craftsy is no longer selling patterns from independent designers, so the pattern is now available on my website

I have done my best to ensure a comprehensive pattern, proof-read many times, with lots of diagrams and pressing instructions to help match the seams effortlessly. Different sizes are included in addition to the main little quilt, each using a pre-cut, with sizes going up to a single bed quilt using a layer cake.

Here is a block I made using my jelly roll instructions:

I am very grateful to all those people who have asked me about a pattern, giving me the push I needed to dip my toes into the pattern writing pond. I hope that what I have produced in response meets with your approval. It is a lot of work creating a pattern, but I am hoping to do many more - I have so many ideas I'm running out of paper to sketch them on!

Special thanks too, to Suzitee, for checking things over for me and making suggestions. x x :)

If you do happen to buy my pattern, and make something from it, I'd love some feedback and photos. My email address is included in the pattern. 

Well, here's hoping that all that time has produced something people will find valuable. It would be amazing to see little heart quilts popping up here and there. Fingers crossed!

Pattern Update :)

Just a quick note to say that the pattern for my little heart quilt is done, and in the process of being tested!

Getting there... :)

Spots, Project Life, and Patterns

So, a few things to talk about today. First up, here is a quilt top I finished on Thursday:

The two spots with low contrast bug me a little, but I'll get over it. The pattern is Spot On, from the book Simplify by Camille Roskelley. I changed a few things... First, I trimmed all the layer cake squares down to 9.875 inches, because they were not square straight from the pack, which makes it hard to sew an accurate quilt. Second, I made the sashing a little narrower, and third, I made the outside border wider. 

The fabric is all Etchings by 3 Sisters. I love their fabrics, wish I could buy them all! I ordered a 108" wide fabric for the backing, but ended up using a lot of it for the sashing and outside border, so will have to piece the back. The outside border is actually the back of the fabric. I just love the way it looks. 

Next up, some more Project Life. I tried something different this week, just one photo, some stamping and a freebie printable from Prima. The background is glimmer-misted too...

No days specified this time, no lengthy write-ups, just a list. I think I like doing it this way.

And finally, I am writing a pattern for my little Marmalade heart quilt. I'm calling it ZigZag Love. I have had some requests for a pattern, and started writing something by hand quite some time ago. That proved too laborious, so now I've done it all on computer. Nearly finished, just a little bit more to go then it is ready for testing and proof-reading.

Oh, I haven't actually blogged the quilt yet, so here it is:

I'll keep you posted, and be sure to tell you all about it when the pattern is ready. I want it to be just right, so bear with me. :)

Edit: ZigZag Love Pattern now available here or here.